


Individuality

by Mia_Vaan



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Retelling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Entrapta's backstory, F/M, Hordak being a brother to Wrong Hordak, Hordak probably has PTSD, Protective Entrapta, Protective Hordak, Season 5 needed more Hordak, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 5 Spoilers, Wrong Hordak gets a meaningful rename, and is latching onto Entrapta as his rock, bordering on overprotective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:40:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24395152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mia_Vaan/pseuds/Mia_Vaan
Summary: Entrapta finds Hordak on Prime's ship.Begins during S5E5, "Save the Cat".
Relationships: Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 403
Collections: Shera





	Individuality

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All characters belong to Dreamworks. Some lines of dialogue taken from season 5. 
> 
> Season 5 has made me want to write fic for this fandom. I blame Hordak and Entrapta; they demanded more moments together.

Imperfections were a weakness.

He kept telling himself this as he hurried into the server room behind his brothers, prepared to fight those who dared to resist the glory and might of Horde Prime. His whole body felt like one great big ache, one that wouldn’t stop no matter what he did, but he couldn’t show it.

And the thoughts that flashed in his mind… They were thoughts that belonged to himself and not his master. They were not of Prime’s will, and had to be destroyed. He pushed them down and tried to forget.

But when he entered the server room and saw the intruders, his thoughts fought harder to be uncovered. The people before him… They felt _familiar_ to him. Especially the female stood in front of the main computer with her back to him. Something burned within him at the sight of her, something he couldn’t name.

One of his brothers, a traitor, stood beside her. He tried to fight off the brothers who attacked him, and was overwhelmed. The female was grabbed from behind, and she used her hair to fight them back.

Something fell from her pocket and slid across the floor, stopping just in front of him. It was a crystal, its colour similar to the female’s hair. He stared at it, and though the crystal made no sound, it felt like it was calling out to him. _Singing_ to him.

He bent down and picked it up. The thoughts were getting louder and louder, clambering for attention, _screaming_ at him to listen…

His gaze returned to look at the female. She was staring at him, her wide eyes filled with hope and a watery substance he suspected was tears.

“…Hordak?”

 _Hordak_. A name. He remembered suddenly that it was the same name that Prime’s prisoner had called him, before he’d been purified.

There was another name at the tip of his tongue. One that was special, important. The female’s name. The crystal burned in his hand as he tried to remember it; burned away Prime’s teachings and burned through all of his attempts to stop it. He wanted to throw it away, but found himself unable to.

Suddenly his brothers tackled the female to the floor, and she let out a cry of shock.

Panic struck him. Though her name was still out of reach, he knew with everything he was that at some point she’d been taken from him, taken from his reach, and every inch of him was screaming _don’t lose her again, don’t let them hurt her!_

He was moving before the thoughts had even fully formed. He grabbed his brothers, the _clones_ , and threw them away from her. He growled and snarled, keeping himself between her and the attackers, defending her at all costs. The aching of his body all but vanished.

Someone else, someone who also looked familiar, entered the room and started to help, until all of the clones were unconscious on the floor. With the danger taken care of, he turned to the female, who was once again staring up at him with hope in her eyes.

He had turned against his brothers, against Horde Prime, because of her. “What… what have you done to me?”

Her eyes grew wider, more hopeful. “Hordak? Is that you?”

He opened his hand and looked down at the crystal. The female placed her hand on top of it. Her touch was warm, and familiar.

And it broke through the barrier separating him from his memories.

Everything came rushing back to him at all once, and he almost collapsed from the sensation. But one name kept him grounded; one name that screamed louder than everything else.

“ _Entrapta_.”

She shrieked with joy and flung herself at him, her arms and her hair pulling him into a tight embrace. Once upon a time, he wouldn’t have approved of her reaction, but after everything they’d been through, after being separated from her and then getting his mind wiped… Hordak smiled and embraced her back, clutching her tightly out of fear she would disappear.

He ignored how Queen Glimmer and her archer friend stared at him with wary and confused looks, silent in their shock until the latter asked, “So… does this mean he’s on our side now?”

\---

Hordak didn’t leave Entrapta’s side. Helping her fix their ship was a good excuse to stay with her, and it kept him away from the others. He knew they didn’t trust him, and he couldn’t really blame them after everything he’d done.

When they’d asked for an explanation as to why he was helping them, he had simply told them that he wished to make Horde Prime pay for unmaking him. He hadn’t been able to find the words to further explain that he wished to never again be parted from Entrapta, but it seemed that the look he gave her was enough. Adora, _She-Ra_ , appeared to understand more than the others did, perhaps because she herself was in a similar situation.

“I’m sorry, Hordak. I don’t think I can get it off.”

They were in the room they were now sharing, sat on the bed. Entrapta was behind him, inspecting the chip on the back of his neck. Hordak turned to face her, and seeing her look so… _defeated_ not only felt wrong, but it made him hurt in a way he didn’t understand.

“Explain.”

“I think the chip’s part of you,” she told him. “Kind of like how your head is part of you and your arm is part of you. If I try and take it off of you, you could… well…”

“It could kill me.” His fist clenched. So long as the chip remained, there was a chance Horde Prime could take over his body, and if he hurt Entrapta…

She smiled at him. “The good news is, I’m not getting a signal from it! I think you might’ve broken the connection yourself, kind of like how Bow and I broke the signal between the hive mind and Wrong Hordak.”

Hordak looked towards his little brother, who was wandering around aimlessly outside of their room. He was from the younger batch of clones, and acting like a child that had lost its parent. He wondered if the clone would form his own identity, like he had.

He was tempted to name the poor soul, but felt that his little brother should choose a name for himself. Until then, he was being referred to as “Wrong Hordak”, which Hordak was going to have to get used to.

“Maybe I can take another look at it after I remove the chip from Catra,” Entrapta went on. “Her one will be easier to remove since she wasn’t born with it and it’s new…”

Catra. She was recovering. Hordak was still angry towards the one who had taken Entrapta from him and then _lied_ to him about her, but he knew better than to act on it. And it didn’t sound like her presence was bothering Entrapta, so Hordak tried not to let it bother him.

“You have a brilliant mind, Entrapta,” he said. When they’d been trapped in the hallway on Prime’s ship and she’d called their own ship (Darla?) to them with just a whistle, saying it was an upgrade she’d been working on… It had filled him with so much pride, to see how amazing she was. “If anyone can remove these chips, it is you. I have not seen you fail at anything.”

She beamed up at him. “Well, I’ve had experiments that weren’t successful, and ones I’ve had to abandon because they’ve tried to kill me and all of my friends… Ooh! And there was that time I couldn’t fix my robot parents- Well, they weren’t my _real_ parents, just robot versions of them that my parents built before they left, because there was this tech they needed to get in the Crimson Wastes, which I’m now only realising was probably Mara’s ship, but anyway, they didn’t know how long they were gonna be gone for or if they were even gonna come back, so they built robot versions of themselves to look after me, and the robot versions raised me because my parents never came back since they probably got eaten, but then when I was maybe fifteen the robots broke and I couldn’t fix them…”

She trailed off with a distant look on her face. Hordak wondered if Entrapta had even grieved for her parents, or if she’d just bottled her feelings up and refused to face them. He’d certainly done the same when he’d thought that Entrapta had betrayed him…

After a few moments of hesitation, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m… sorry. I can’t think of any reason why anyone would want to leave you.”

“Tech.”

“Well…” He hesitated again. By the First Ones, he wasn’t good at expressing himself. “Leaving you for such a trivial matter… You must have hated them.”

Entrapta brought her legs up onto the bed and pulled them towards her, hugging them close. It looked like she was trying to curl up into a ball and hide. “No. I tried to, for a little while, after I couldn’t fix the robots. It didn’t work. Trying to hate them just made me feel worse, so… I just stopped feeling anything at all.” She sniffed. “They always told me that my imperfections are beautiful.”

“They are right.” He smiled again. After so many years of not doing it, he found that he couldn’t stop. Especially when he was with Entrapta.

She buried her face into her arms. From the way her shoulders moved up and down, Hordak could tell she was sobbing.

This time, there was no hesitation. He encircled his arms around her and pulled her close to him. It felt as natural as breathing.

\---

Being separated from her brought the pain back.

He was still a “defective” clone; Prime hadn’t fixed that. His armour had offered some help in walking and standing, but not a lot. He’d had to work through the pain.

Hordak wondered why Horde Prime had brought him back under his thumb instead of just killing him. He could only conclude that it was to make him suffer for the “slight” of thinking for himself, and thinking he could be Prime’s equal.

Having Entrapta close by took the pain away. Even when he was shielding her from being thrown around by the violent motions of the ship. But then Adora took her away in order to remove the chip from Catra, and told him to fix the ship’s shields. Only assurances from Entrapta had made him stay.

He tried to focus through the pain, but couldn’t. The lurching ship didn’t help. The archer (Bow?) at one point asked if he was OK, and Hordak snapped at him before apologising immediately afterwards. It almost made him laugh, that he’d reached the point that he was apologising to people, but then it was what Entrapta would have done.

When it was all over – when She-Ra had destroyed the ships pursuing them, when Entrapta had removed the chip from Catra’s neck, when they’d managed to finally repair Darla – they sat down to eat together. It was… pleasant.

Catra joined them, too. But she didn’t speak to him – not until it was time to turn in for the night.

“Hey.”

Hordak froze before entering his and Entrapta’s room. She was already inside, and he wanted desperately to join her – but then he could no longer ignore Catra. They had to get this over with.

“Catra.” He kept himself composed as he turned to face her. “You look well.”

“Yeah.” Her ears turned downwards and she scratched the back of her neck, where the chip used to be. “Listen, I… I’m sorry for what happened. I wish I could tell you that I had an excuse for my actions – that I was jealous of what you and Entrapta had, that I wanted to have that, not with you, but…”

He knew, without needing to guess, who she was referring to. “Adora.”

Catra looked surprised for a moment, before continuing. “Yeah, well… It’s not an excuse. So… I’m sorry.” She avoided his gaze.

Hordak wanted to hate Catra for what she did. Finding out that Catra had sent Entrapta to Beast Island… It had shattered him. He’d thought he’d never see her again. It amazed him that she’d survived, and he should’ve known she would. If anyone could survive that place, it was her.

_Trying to hate them just made me feel worse…_

She was right. Hating everything around him had given him nothing but pain, nothing worth living for. He’d only started to feel happy when he’d stopped hating – when he’d let Entrapta in.

And Catra didn’t deserve anymore punishment. She’d suffered enough at the hands of Horde Prime.

“Had Entrapta been there when Prime… took us, he would have killed her on sight to teach me a lesson,” he said finally. “I suppose… though you intended to do the opposite… by sending her away, you saved her life. So… thank you. And I forgive you.”

She looked even more surprised at that.

Hordak was about to enter his room, when she spoke again. “Wait.”

“Yes?”

“I… I noticed that you’re… in pain. Prime took the suit from you, and I don’t think he replaced it with a smaller one that fits under that armour.”

He sighed. He wanted to hide it from her, but there was no point.

His non-verbal reaction was enough of an answer for her. “If I’ve learnt anything recently, it’s that hiding these things from your loved ones and pretending you’re fine when you’re not… It doesn’t help. It just makes things worse, and it pushes everyone you care about away.”

Hordak turned to look at his closed door. He hadn’t meant to hide his pain from Entrapta; he’d planned on telling her. There’d just been more important things to worry about, like fixing the ship and getting away from Prime. But then the ship was fixed, and Prime wasn’t chasing them anymore…

He hadn’t wanted her to worry. But Catra was right.

“I will tell her.”

She nodded before turning to head to her room.

Hordak sighed again and opened his door – to find Entrapta waiting on the other side.

“You’re hurt?! Why didn’t you tell me?! I can make you a new suit! Do you want weapons on it?! I bet you want weapons on it!”

She yanked him inside with her hair and slammed the door shut behind him.

\---

Hordak knew he was in deep with the Rebellion when he realised he felt actual concern for the wellbeing of Etheria.

When he’d turned on Horde Prime, it had been about protecting Entrapta first and foremost, but it was also about making Prime pay for all of his suffering. He’d remained with She-Ra and her companions because their goals aligned, and because it was where Entrapta wanted to be. They were her friends.

The message they’d received… Knowing that people were in pain, and that Prime was causing that pain, the same pain he himself had suffered through… He found himself feeling sorry for them. Worrying about them. Wanting to _help_ them in any way he could.

So when Bow asked him about any weaknesses Horde Prime could have, he replied, “Krytis. It is a planet that was forbidden from all discussion among the clones.”

In response to this, Wrong Hordak appeared suddenly beside him, looking terrified. “Krytis does not exist! And if it did, we would not discuss it. We do not discuss Horde Prime’s weakness. Not that he has one! If he _had_ a weakness, we would not discuss it. Horde Prime is all powerful!”

It didn’t take long for Entrapta to locate the planet on the computer, revealing that it wasn’t far from their location. Wrong Hordak kept trying to deny its existence, and in the end, Hordak just grabbed him by the ear and glared at him. The clone quickly shut up after that.

“How do we know this is right?” asked Queen Glimmer.

“I think he’s onto something,” said Catra. “The name rings a bell for me, too. Prime’s trying to hide something on that planet.”

Adora turned to him. “Do you know what it is?”

Hordak shook his head. “What happened on Krytis was before my time. All us clones know is that it is a name that must never be mentioned, or else we would face the wrath of Horde Prime.”

“Well, whatever he’s trying to hide,” Adora sat in the pilot’s seat, “we’re gonna find out what it is.”

\---

Hordak didn’t admit to himself that he was on edge until Entrapta shrieked, causing him to tackle her to the ground and shield her with his body.

“Stay down! Where is it?! What did you see?! It will not get you, I swear!”

“Erm, Hordak? That was a happy sound,” she said from beneath him. “Nothing’s coming to get me.”

“Oh. I apologise.” He helped her to her feet.

“Well, not yet anyway. Maybe.” She showed him her data pad. “I’m detecting a heat signature! There’s something alive on this planet, somewhere in this spire.”

“Impossible!” Wrong Hordak, connected to the computer, was shaking. “Horde Prime destroyed all life on this planet that does not exist!”

Hordak moved closer to Entrapta and looked over his shoulder, wondering if the thing that was alive was watching them…

“You seem on edge for a guy who doesn’t know much about this place,” said Bow, his arms crossed.

“I do not. I have simply come to the logical conclusion,” he replied. “Prime does not mention this place because he fears it. He is the most powerful being in the known universe. If he fears whatever is here, then so should we.”

Bow gulped. “That… wasn’t ominous at all.”

They split up, Adora taking Catra, Queen Glimmer and Bow with her in order to find whatever was still living on the planet. Hordak wasn’t sure that was wise, but if anyone could face what was out there… And if this thing was an enemy of Horde Prime…

He was just glad that Entrapta hadn’t gone with them.

Though he could have done without his little brother.

“The logs say that Horde Prime… _retreated_ from this planet?! This cannot be! Lord Prime does not retreat! He is the almighty conqueror!”

“I don’t know how many times I have to repeat myself,” said Entrapta. “Data never lies!”

Wrong Hordak burst into tears, and Hordak couldn’t help but face palm. “Brother, you must understand that Horde Prime is not almighty, and he is not your brother-”

The clone just wailed louder.

“Erm…” Entrapta awkwardly reached across and patted the clone’s shoulder. “There, there.” She looked to Hordak. “He’s your brother. Is there any way you can, I don’t know, make him feel better? Did you guys ever do any kind of bonding activities in the Horde?”

“We subjugated worlds.”

“…Anything else?”

Hordak sighed. “Entrapta, he is not my brother. He is a clone. A clone of Horde Prime. Merely another soldier in a vast army, just as disposable as the next.”

Entrapta frowned at him. “OK, first of all, you literally just called him your brother a few seconds ago! And secondly, that sounds like something Horde Prime would say, and you are _not_ Horde Prime! You are Hordak; you are your own person! And Wrong Hordak can be his own person, too! He can be your brother!”

Wrong Hordak hadn’t stopped wailing the entire time. Hordak turned to him, and sighed.

“I can try and help him if it gets him to shut up.”

“Good! Oh, hold on, one second!” She turned, pressing her finger to her earpiece. “Yeah, sorry, Adora. It seems that Wrong Hordak has begun to question the meaning of life.”

“Who am I if I’m not an exalted brother of Prime?!” Wrong Hordak let his head fall on Hordak’s shoulders, and the former warlord resisted the urge to push his brother away.

“But don’t worry!” Entrapta continued. “I’ve just convinced _my_ Hordak to help him.”

Her words, calling him _her_ Hordak, made his heart beat faster as a warm feeling began to spread through him.

Entrapta believed in him. She was counting on him.

He turned to his brother and encircled an arm around him, patting him on his shoulder. “Horde Prime never cared for any of us. I was once his most trusted lieutenant, but the moment I showed a single sign of weakness, he tossed me away like I was nothing. But I am more than what he made me. I gave myself a name; gave myself an identity. You can, too.”

The computer beeped, and Entrapta stopped typing. She quickly read the words on the screen, before leaping to her feet laughing.

“We’ve got it!” She pressed her hand to her earpiece. “Adora! Are you there? Wrong Hordak downloaded the rest of the records on Prime’s occupation of Krytis, and guess what? This planet was once a First One’s colony like Etheria! It looks like Horde Prime and the First Ones were fighting for control of this planet, and Horde Prime won. But something on the planet drove him away before he could conquer it. He tried to erase all records of his failure.”

Wrong Hordak began to tremble. “Horde Prime… lied to us. He… is _not_ all powerful!”

“He is not.” Hordak looked away. He’d once tried to be like Prime. Looking back on what he’d done, thinking of all the lives that were destroyed through his actions… It made him feel ill.

He wanted to wish that he’d never done it; that it had never happened. But if he hadn’t, then he never would have met Entrapta. And that selfish part of him was glad it had all happened, because it had all led him to her.

While Entrapta continued to talk to the others, Hordak unplugged his brother and stood before him. “No one is all powerful. And those who pretend to be are the least deserving of such a title.”

Wrong Hordak wiped away his tears. “If… Horde Prime lied to us about this… then…”

“Then he lied to us about everything else,” said Hordak. “He does not bring peace to the universe. He only brings war and destruction. And we are not his brothers; we are his soldiers, created so he can bend us to his will.”

“Does… does that mean _we_ are not brothers?” Wrong Hordak looked like he was on the verge of crying again.

Hordak placed a hand on his shoulder. “No. You and I are brothers. Because we _choose_ to be.”

His little brother smiled at him. “Then I will do as you did, brother! I shall choose a name for myself! One that is meaningful; one that signifies the end of Horde Prime’s rule! I will call myself…” He looked around at the planet, and beamed. “Krytis, after the place that holds his weakness!”

“Yes!” Entrapta, who had been listening the whole time, pumped her fist into the air. “I’m so happy for you guys!” She pressed her finger to her earpiece again. “That’s great, Adora! And I’m happy to report that Wrong Hordak’s existential crisis has resolved! Oh, and he wants to be called Krytis from now on. It’s a meaningful rename.”

“Brothers!” Krytis paced back and forth, a newfound determination driving him on. “Horde Prime lied to us! He is a false ruler! We must rise up against him and free the universe from his unjust reign!”

Hordak wanted to roll his eyes at his little brother’s fast U-turn. But then Entrapta leapt over and hugged him, and he lost all coherent thought.

\---

Entrapta managed to finish his new suit before they landed back on Etheria. She used one of the space suits as a base, added leftover First Ones’ tech from the ship, and created a streamlined suit that could fit under clothes and armour. The crystal from before once again powered the suit, sitting above where his heart was.

She was a truly brilliant woman, and Hordak wanted to do something strange; wanted to press his lips against hers. He couldn’t understand what it was, so refrained from acting on it.

He wanted to get rid of his Horde armour and burn it, but Adora suggested he keep it for now. She said it could come in handy.

And it did. By continuing to wear the armour, the group could move around freely with himself and Krytis acting as “guards”. Though he feared that his brother’s awkwardness and uncertainness of how to act in tense situations would get them discovered soon. And as much as he adored Entrapta, he really wished she hadn’t introduced Krytis to the phenomenon known as “winking”.

They split up, and he was with Entrapta collecting dirt samples, when a loud crash interrupted their work. Without thinking, Hordak once again tackled Entrapta to the ground and covered her with his body.

“Looks like we found a Princess.” Catra, who was resting in a tree with her new friend Melog, looked over at her companions. “And Hordak, if you’re gonna do that every time at the first sign of danger, it’s gonna get old real fast.” She leapt out of the tree and took off in the direction of the fighting.

Entrapta shifted under him so she could watch Catra go. “I don’t mind! I think it’s very sweet that Hordak’s concerned for my wellbeing.”

Hordak smiled down at her.

\---

He wondered if Catra had a point, and he _was_ being a tad… overprotective. Would Entrapta grow tired of his actions? Would it get to a point when she no longer found them sweet and instead found them irritating?

Hordak was so focussed on this dilemma that he wasn’t prepared for the net that was thrown over him by the Princess they’d encountered in Erelandia.

“Why is Hordak here?! And is that a clone?!”

The net was made of some form of magic, and Hordak found he couldn’t get out of it no matter how hard he struggled. Before the Princess – Netossa? – could throw another net at Krytis, Entrapta grabbed her with her hair and shook her repeatedly.

“You let Hordak go right now, or I’ll build a whole robot army and march them all over you!”

“Entrapta!” Adora yelled. “Let her go! Netossa, Hordak’s on our side now. And so is the clone. It’s a long story.”

Reluctantly, Entrapta put the other Princess down, who just as reluctantly removed the net that was pinning Hordak to the tree. He sighed upon being released, and Entrapta raced over to catch him before he could fall to the ground.

“Hordak! Are you OK?”

“I am well. Thank you.”

It eased his worries that she was just as protective of him as he was of her. And later he tackled her to safety once more when Princess Perfuma attempted to ensnare them in vines, paranoid that they were under Prime’s control.

Entrapta laughed out loud, and signalled a thumb’s up with her hair to the others. “This will never get old!”

He wondered if now would be a good time to try pressing his lips to hers – but before he could, he was tackled to the ground by Emily, Entrapta’s bot.

\---

Meeting Shadow Weaver again set him on edge.

The whole time she was in their base, Hordak kept himself between her an Entrapta. It was unlikely she would attack, as it seemed she wanted Horde Prime gone just as much as everyone else, but it kept his mind at ease.

For her part, she didn’t acknowledge him for most of the time she was there. Only when the group was preparing to leave did their eyes meet across the room. She frowned at him, and he glared at her in return, daring her to try and attack him. He gripped Entrapta’s hand to keep himself grounded, being careful that his claws didn’t hurt her.

After the group departed, he continued to help Entrapta decode the signal pattern of Horde Prime’s network that connected all of the chips. He was briefly distracted by Krytis needing help to lift something, and when Hordak turned around, Entrapta was gone.

Panic overwhelmed him.

He was seconds away from tearing around the base and turning it upside down, when he heard a noise coming from outside. It sounded like Entrapta’s voice.

Hordak took off after her. He pushed through the vines, barged past She-Ra’s steed Swift Wind and grabbed Entrapta before she could wander any further away. He held her close, burying his nose in her hair and calming himself down with her scent. His heavy breathing began to subside.

“Entrapta, _please_ do not do that to me again.”

“Hey, erm…” She pulled back slightly and looked up at him. “Hordak, are you OK? You’ve been kind of clingy since I rescued you from Prime’s ship. I don’t mind, it’s just… I’m worried there’s something wrong that you’re not telling me about?”

He sighed, and one of his hands began to play with her hair. “The worst moment of my life was when I was told that you had been sent to Beast Island. I thought I had lost you forever. I… I cannot lose you again.”

She looked at him, understanding, and it was her turn to hold him close. “I love you, too.”

His heart soared.

\---

Hordak wasn’t sure how Entrapta had convinced him to accompany her to one of the spirals, but then he hadn’t wanted her to go alone. And Swift Wind was with them, in case anything happened.

He was discovering that he couldn’t deny her anything.

“This isn’t about tech,” she told him. “It’s about our chipped friends. If I can get this to work, I can save them. And… and I can save you, too. I can’t get that chip off your neck, so this is the only way to break your connection to the hive mind for good. I can’t let Horde Prime take you from me again!”

The world went still. And just like Entrapta was able to see the true meaning of his words, Hordak was able to see the true meaning of hers.

Hordak reached out and cupped her cheek, his thumb wiping away her tears with a gentle caress.

“I love you, too.”

And he pressed his lips to hers.

\---

Sat by the light of magic displayed on the floor, Hordak bathed in the feeling of content.

Entrapta was in his lap, typing away on her computer with him offering suggestions over her shoulder. Krytis was sat next to them, leaning against Emily and watching the process with a big grin on his face.

Hordak gently brushed his claws through Entrapta’s hair. He wanted to stay in this moment forever, where they were all safe from Horde Prime.

But he knew that wasn’t possible. He knew that he and Entrapta would have to risk their lives in order to free everyone who was trapped under Prime’s mind control. He knew there was a good chance not all of them would make it out of this fight alive. He had already decided that if one of them had to die, he would give his life to make sure that Entrapta kept on living.

He wanted to stay in the moment longer – but when She-Ra appeared before them, he knew their time was up.

\---

The light surrounded them before they could finish.

“No… No!” Hordak knew what the light was instantly. He tried to push Entrapta out of the beam, but only managed to push the computer away. They were both snatched up and teleported onto Horde Prime’s ship.

Recognising immediately where he was, Hordak place himself between Entrapta and their enemy.

“Welcome, little brother.” Horde Prime kept his attention on the screens in front of him. “You are just in time to witness the decimation of Etheria. I thought you would be happy, since it is what you started.”

Hordak growled. “Face me, Prime, and I will finish it.”

Prime didn’t turn, and instead clicked his fingers.

Within moments, Hordak was surrounded by clones. They grabbed him and dragged him towards an outlet, one that would reconnect him to the hive mind. Prime intended to plug him back in.

“No!” He struggled against their hold, but the clones were too many.

“Hordak!” Entrapta was held back by more clones. “No! Don’t give in! Don’t let it consume you! Don’t let him take you back!”

He was helpless. He couldn’t save her from Prime – and he doubted he’d be able to save her from himself.

Her face was the last thing he saw before he was plugged back in, and his vision went white.

\---

Imperfections were a weakness.

That was the mantra repeating in his mind when he awoke. His brothers unplugged him from the outlet, and he kneeled before his lord and master, Horde Prime. He didn’t know how he came to be there, but whatever had happened to him, he was grateful that he had been brought back into the light.

“Hordak?”

He turned to see a female kneeling on the floor. A prisoner of Horde Prime. There was something familiar about her, something that was nagging at the back of his mind…

Horde Prime’s screens flickered out, replaced with a sign he didn’t recognise. It looked like a face.

The female laughed out loud. “My device worked! I knew it would!”

“Deploy all clone battalions!” Horde Prime snarled. “Get this under control!”

Instead, a male figure appeared on the screens. He seemed familiar too, but not in the way the female had. He spoke of rebellion, of fighting against Horde Prime and ending his rule.

It sounded wrong. Prime’s voice in his mind told him not to listen, that it went against everything he believed, and yet… Something compelled him to listen. A feeling that was coming from his chest.

He raised his hand up to it, and felt something warm underneath his armour. Looking down, he saw a pink glow, and pulling back his armour revealed that the pink glow was coming from a crystal. A very familiar crystal.

A voice inside his head screamed at him.

“Put an end to this mockery!” Horde Prime ordered. “Destroy them all!”

His brothers left the chamber, leaving only himself, Horde Prime and the female.

The screens flashed with images, of people fighting back. Some faces were familiar, others not. But the feeling they sparked within him… the feeling of rebellion… It was trying to reach out, like a dream he couldn’t quite remember.

“You can’t control us!” shouted the female. “You don’t understand what makes us strong! And that’s why you’ll never win!”

Her words helped the voices in his thoughts grow stronger. Everything Horde Prime had taught him told him to reject them and push them back, but something deeper told him to keep going. To hold on.

The screens lit up, and Horde Prime laughed. “I can _feel_ it! The heart is mine!”

He thought he would be happy to see his master achieve his goal. But instead, it only filled him with a dread that felt all too familiar.

“You can’t do this!” the female screamed. “The heart’s power is too unstable! It’ll take you and the whole universe with it!”

Horde Prime turned to them. “I have had enough of this chatty little rebel! Dispose of her, now!”

The dread grew at these words. He turned to the female and raised his weapon.

There were tears in her eyes as she looked up at him. She looked at him like she _knew_ him; like he was her everything.

He hesitated.

“Did you not hear me, little brother? Do it, now!”

The female closed her eyes. “Hordak… please…”

That name again.

The voices in his head grew louder. Loud enough for him to finally hear.

_Don’t let her be taken again, don’t let her get hurt, they will never hurt Entrapta!_

_Entrapta!_

“Entrapta!”

The moment her name passed through his lips, everything came back to him. And without hesitation, Hordak spun around and fired his weapon at Horde Prime.

The conqueror was sent flying, crashing through his screens and detaching from the cables connecting him to the hive mind.

“I am not your brother!” Hordak advanced on him, his anger burning in his heart. He had been taken again, _violated_ , almost forced to kill the one he loved. Horde Prime had to pay for his actions. “You made me in your image, but I am more than that!” He grabbed Prime by the neck and held him over the edge. “I gave myself a name, I made a life of my own, and I… I found love.”

He turned to Entrapta. She beamed at him.

Turning back to Horde Prime, he let himself smile. “I am _Hordak_ , and I _defy_ your will!”

And he let go.

But as he watched his former master fall, he felt something enter his mind. Something dark. He realised too late what it was, and didn’t get the chance to turn and warn Entrapta before Horde Prime consumed him.

\---

When Hordak came back to himself, She-Ra was kneeling before him, smiling.

For a brief moment, he saw himself standing in the field outside of the portal, holding her as a baby in his arms. All those years ago, he’d made a choice, and he’d chosen not to leave her for dead.

He realised, with a start, that choice had saved the universe.

“I remember you.” They rose together, and only then did Hordak recall what had happened. “He took my mind, and…” His eyes widened as terror gripped his heart. “Entrapta! Did he hurt her?” If Prime had killed her…

And then he heard a familiar laugh. It was like music to his ears.

“Hordak!” She almost tackled him to the ground, but Hordak managed to remain upright and embraced her. “I’m so glad you’re back!”

Using her hair, she pushed herself up to his level and pressed her forehead against his.

Hordak pulled her close. “I will never leave you again.” 


End file.
